“[T]here came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live . . . . nd when Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when the people were put forth [ejected], he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose” (Matthew 9, emphasis added).
As recorded in 2 Kings 3, there was a desperate need for water to ensure the survival of great multitudes of people and livestock. The prophet Elisha then spoke, “For thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts. And this is but a light thing in the sight of the LORD.”
The people obeyed. Then water appeared spontaneously in those ditches, without the help of a solitary, material drop of rain.
Digging a ditch requires removal of soil to create space for the ditch to exist in the first place. Similarly, this removal of earth symbolizes removing heavy earthbound thoughts of lack, limitation, failure, sin, disease, and death to make way for Omnipotence. The Greek word for this important emptying process is kenosis (Philippians 2:7) — Jesus “emptied himself” daily of mortal mindedness in order to give place to Omnipotence that he might work the works of God.
The ruler of the synagogue understood this principle of emptying oneself of mortal self and thus, full of understanding, successfully drew near to Christ to fill the place in which mournful belief in his daughter’s death would otherwise dominate his mind. The mourners, however, were giving place to death, even singing about it. These mourners symbolize mortal thoughts that must be silenced, ejected from thought in order to give place to Christ (Truth) thoughts. Whatever is dominant in my mind will eventually out-picture itself in my life.
God grant that I be successful in daily emptying myself by digging ditches, creating spaces in the landscape of my being to give place for Him to work through me.